Do you believe in Santa Claus? A gift of wisdom for all ages.

Growing up and becoming adults, life seemingly gets more complex and demanding. Among the decisions we are faced with are the big questions like: Who am I? Is this what I’m supposed to be doing? What is my unique purpose? Or, how can I make a difference? Is this my best life? How big can I dream? How do I get to do the things I want to do? Is this my best option, or could I pursue that call of adventure?

Likewise, the answers and solutions to these questions can generate a great deal of uncertainty as we factor in our beliefs and experience, as well as the people that matter in those decisions. Wouldn't it be great if we could simplify it all to one or a few succinct, salient guidelines. Something that could be applied in broad simple strokes to vanquish the myriad of decisions life presents to us. Dr. Wayne Dyer appears to have accomplished this in his books for kids of all ages. Life lessons so smart and simple...even a child can get it.

As many of us are negotiating the new realities grown out of the choices of the past decade or so, here are some great ideas and practices to boost confidence, and bolster expectations for better days ahead. This is not "dumbing it down," rather it follows the inspiration and light-hearted fun of Dr. Seuss' Oh The Places You Can Go, which has been a perennial favorite to share with graduates.

Incredible You! 10 Ways To Let Your Greatness Shine Through

Dr. Dyer begins with the recognition that (#1) there is good in all of us waiting to be shared with the world. Yes, you are amazing, unique and awesomely made, and everyone else is too (#9). What is essential (#2) is to discover what makes us feel most alive--what we love. And it doesn’t matter where we are in life #5, “what matters is what (we) do with today.” You have power in your thoughts (#10), and you can choose to change your life’s situations by changing your thoughts (#6.) Happy thoughts, Dr. Dyer says, make you strong and free, so choose to be happy.

Get all 10 ideas and practices here.


Unstoppable Me! 10 Ways to Soar Through Life


(#1) You’re great--no matter what. Learn to value yourself without needing others’ approval, and realize that everyone makes mistakes. Criticism can be just another’s fear of failure, the important thing is to get the feedback failure signals to us, and to adapt and move forward. That’s it, (#2) persistence pays off, an essential trait in being unstoppable.

Find more tips on how to fortify yourself against negativity, setbacks and uncertainty to develop an adaptable, creative life full of meaning and purpose.

No Excuses! How What You Say Can Get In Your Way

This is the smart and simple version of the adult self-help book (Excuses Begone!), a contemporary update on the earlier version (Your Erroneous Zones) that launched Dr. Dyer’s renown. The bracing title is no deterrent for the gentle guidance to help us recognize when we are making excuses (even when it comes through messengers.) Ultimately, we have a choice whether we let fear of disappointment and doubt stop us from pursuing dreams or to fuel new resolve.

What can you do with that? Check out the quick and effective mobilizing technique.


So, yes, wisdom can come in simple steps, it is the practice that evolves into complex solutions as we take on more complex choices. Just find the answers that are right for you.

Happy Holidays

More gift ideas:

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters, President Barack Obama








On My Way To A Happy Life, Dr. Deepak Chopra

St. Lucia Hurricane Tomas Relief

Local disaster and emergency units as well as global organizations have mobilized assistance to help victims of Hurricane Tomas in St. Lucia. The UN, UNICEF, the French Navy, and British military have extended humanitarian assistance to the wind and flood ravaged island nation. According to The St. Lucia Red Cross Society ten tons of immediate relief needs such as food and water have been delivered by airlift into communities inaccessible by road due to landslides. Damage and needs assessments through coordinated disaster response teams NEMO (National Emergency Organization), DANA (Damage and Needs Assessment, Red Cross) and RNET (Rapid Needs Assessment Team of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency) are in progress.

St. Lucia needs our help now. Donations can be remitted to the St. Lucia Red Cross Society through the following banks.

First Caribbean International Bank, Bridge St., Castries, St. Lucia, WI
A/C # 2645392
Swift Code: FCIBLCLC


Royal Bank of Canada
Acc #100 842 4.

Persons outside of St Lucia can remit funds through:

United States (USD)
Wachovia Bank, New York,NY
SWIFT: PNBPUS3NNYC

ABA: 026005092

Bank of America, New York, NY, 10048-1191

Swift Code: BOFAUS3N
Chips member ID: 015035
ABA Number 026009593

United Kingdom (GBP)

BARCLAYS BANK,

SWIFT: BARCGB22

Europe (EURO)
KBC BANK,
SWIFT: KREDBEBB
Beneficiary Bank: FirstCaribbean Int’lBank
Swift: FCIBLCLC

Thank you for your contribution.

St. Lucia Hurricane Relief

As we took to donning masks, costumes, and the sweet indulgences of candy and ghoulish revelry this past weekend, Hurricane Tomas wreaked a horrific display of destructive force on the windward Caribbean islands. Barbados, St. Vincent and St. Lucia sustained heavy flooding and wind damage. Reported deaths from St. Lucia are now at 14, mainly in Soufriere, where the damage is reported to look like a war-zone. Prime Minister Stephenson King estimates damage from massive landslides, sinkholes, and widespread flooding at roughly US$37 million.

Some Facebook friends were able to stay in touch via iPhone and Blackberry internet service, while others, as myself, have been unable to reach family and friends in some parts of the island. Ti Kaye resort owner, Nick Pinnock, posted the earliest views of the damage, "this wasn't the most vicious hurricane but it caught the whole country unaware, it lasted a very long time and it dropped a lot of water."



Massive sinkhole on Choc Bridge swallows an SUV Saturday night.(NPinnock)



Choc Bridge damage and SUV Sunday morning. (NPinnock)



Cul de Sac valley flooded...impassable. (NPinnock)



'Super Rush' recovery mission (NPinnock)

House perched on precipice caused by landslide. (SCepal)

St. Lucia Needs Your Help Now

Donate to help for Tomas victims:

St. Lucia Red Cross,

First Caribbean International Bank,

Bridge St. Castries,

A/C # 2645392

swift code FCIBLCLC -

Swift codes for Intermediary Banks for funds coming in the following currencies:

USD Wachovia Bank N.Y, SWIFT: PNBPUS3NNYC, ABA: 026005092

GBP BARCLAYS BANK, SWIFT: BARCGB22

EURO KBC BAN, SWIFT: KREDBEBB

Beneficiary Bank: FirstCaribbean Int’l

Bank Swift: FCIBLCLC

More information on how help will be posted in subsequent updates.

Chilon of Sparta: A Proper Ephor

Perhaps what we can learn from the life of Chilon of Sparta is that to live a virtuous life is to stay out of the tabloids; and to be barely noteworthy is to be considered virtuous. Very little is said of Chilon of Sparta except that he was a man of integrity; his actions aligned with his philosophies and judgments. But that is not the whole skinny on Chilon. In very few references it is made clear that Chilon did his lot to secure the relevance of Greek civilization, and kept his name out of it.


An initial internet search almost leaves one to believe that Chilon left little mark on history compared to his fellow sophists. Other than a mention of his impact on the governing role of the ephorate, most references seem to focus on his aphorisms. This approach may be influenced by Chilon’s lofty place as one of the seven sages. Indeed, while he may have been respected as a wise man, he only gained cult status after death. To the contrary, however, it may be due to the compromises of the ephorate and Chilon’s personal integrity in office that earned him a place as a very wise man. John Paul Adams noted that the ephorate were “very often men who (were) not at all well-off, (found) themselves holding this office, and their lack of means (made) them open to bribery. . . And just because the power of the ephors is excessive and dictatorial, even the Spartan kings have been forced to curry favor with them.”


Chilon proved himself astute by coalescing his ephorate “equals,” a term used to describe those who were not of royal lineage. And despite his adage, “do not make an extravagant marriage," Chilon was strategically connected to both of Sparta’s royal houses by marriage. Furthermore, as is often the case in making history, Chilon was in the right place at the right time. Up to a defeat by the Arcadians, Sparta’s frontier wars had a dominating strategy of annexation and enslavement which, as might be understood, generated a lot of unhappy constituents. It was Chilon’s moment to shine when he stepped in with a different strategy. “Subduing an immediate circle of hostile neighbors only creates a more distant circle of hostile neighbors,” he reasoned, “why not try diplomacy, it would be cheaper and more effective.” (Oxford Illustrated History of Greece and the Hellenistic World) Thus, he transformed the military prime directive with intellectual reason: "When strong, be merciful, if you would have the respect, not the fear, of your neighbors."

A wily politician, Chilon stepped up to resolve the friction of racial dichotomy arising from expansionism. Engaging the Greeks in a sleight of perception management he down-played the apparent superiority of the Dorian clan, who were hated by all other Greeks as illegals, by creating a lineage that unified all Greeks as Peloponnese subjects of Orestes, son of Agamemnon. The ruse worked, then instead of annexation Chilon negotiated strategic alliance. One can see from his approaches and the wisdom in his adages that Chilon was a most civilized, decent, and charitable man in most respects. His policies speak of unity and preservation of Greek culture, even in its most ambitious endeavors.


The passive reference to Chilon’s key contributions in those initial references is a boon to us. It gives DeepDish a chance to quell the preconception of philosophy as a Shakespearian “to be, or not to be” soliloquy. Philosophy is not solely about ambivalence, but also a reasoned, effective, both/and approach to practical solutions. But if you must find something...anything...to dim Chilon’s shine, like Solon‘s reputation as irreverent savoir-faire, or to poke fun at him as Thales contemporaries teased him as the impractical scholar, here’s one thing. One savvy blogger cited a reference to Chilon by his enemies him as “the Fartin’ Spartan.” Gut-busting, but somehow, the deliberate rhyme seems a more modern catch-phrase as I doubt it would have the same effect in Greek language. Thus it seems suspect.


What did seem a bit peculiar was this bit of advice “When speaking not to gesticulate with the hand; for that is like a madman.” Really? Or, "Do not use threats to anyone, for that is womanly." (*rolling eyes*) Was he a tad obsessive-compulsive like Adrian Monk, maybe? Could that have been the secret to his fastidiousness? Or was it part of an orientation to public service for the governing newcomers. Well, he certainly seemed to have quite a few “Thou shalts” and “Thou shalt nots” which apparently served him well. Get more of the maxims of the proper ephor at the Greek Mythology Link.


Afterword: Support your local libraries. Some of the best bits on Chilon came from digging in the reference shelves.






Other References:


The Rise of the Greeks. Michael Grant


Ancient Greece: A History of 11 Cities,. Paul Cartlege


Oxford Illustrated History of Greece and the Hellenistic World. Boardman, Griffin, & Murray

Solon of Athens c 640 – c 558 BC: Irreverent Savoir-Faire?

The past week has been nothing short of extraordinary in the sense of witnessing a convergence of past and present. From Rodney King’s trite plea, “Can’t we all get along?” in the 90s, to the presently “vilsacked” (vilified and sacked, credit Lawrence O'Donnell for that pithy observation) Shirley Sherrod’s, “Let’s work together.” From the savings & loan bailout in the 90’s, to President Obama’s signing of the financial reform bill this week, and the almost unnoticed disburdening of Haiti’s staggering national debt by the IMF. If anyone has wondered as to the efficacy of our current visitation with sages past, just read these highlights from the life and contributions of Solon of Athens.

 A Call of Destiny

Accounts of the life of Solon of Athens appear scant and anecdotal. What little is known is that Solon was born into nobility in Athens circa 640 B.C. to parents Excecestides and his mother a cousin of Pisistratus’ mother. His early career was in import/export trade; however, it was his expression of patriotic philosophy through poetry that catapulted him onto the stage at a critical moment in Athenian history. He was a contemporary of Thales, but no match for the shrewd nerd as he, being one of those who chided Thales’ reclusive lifestyle, found himself at the end of a poignant lesson. Solon devoted his life to morality and politics.

Geo-politics: Hill, Plain, or Shore
The necessity of Solon’s career as Chief Magistrate (Legislator) was due to the financial and social crisis among Athens’ three constituent factions: hill, plain, and shore. The three factions were comprised of those who favored a democratic government of the people (Hill), those who favored small government (Plain), and those independent folks who kept the aforementioned factions in check, favoring a hybrid ruling body (Shore.)

The crux of dissension among the three factions was in the inequitable laws that favored the rich and resulted in death sentences for the poor, and a damning problem of loans backed by a contractual obligation to slavery. These “mortgages on bodies” cleverly structured by the aristocracy to increase their own wealth were sharecropping arrangements that often resulted in the poor being dispossessed and sold in trade.

In his “The Constitutional Order by Solon of Athens,” Solon defined the axis of civil discord as unchecked greed, unmitigated cruelty, and flagrant injustice. He advocated principles before expediency. Civic harmony, he envisioned as adherence to social justice and impeccable ethics.

Solon having the privilege of noble birth to win the respect of the wealthy, and a reputation of frank, fair-dealing businessman among the common people, was chosen for his ideas of social responsibility and jurisprudence. He was given unparallel power to legislate and reform the policies of Athenian government as he saw fit.

Road to Democracy

Solon’s idea to restructure the three factions into four classes based on wealth rather than birth and to grant access to the administrative assembly to all the classes introduced a new definition of citizenship. He advocated a democratic view that the responsibility of achieving the good of the city-state resided with all Athenians. However, the great priority of his appointment to govern was to adjudicate the issue of debt between the classes which he did by immediately dismissing all outstanding debts and outlawing the practice of "mortgages on bodies." The disburdening ordinance was not completely satisfactory to either parties but was accepted as a reasonable settlement.

Solon was revered as an advocate of the poor if not in politics as in justice. His constitution introduced the dual consultative and administrative governing bodies; the trial by jury; assignment of military obligations. He adopted what may have been Thales’ 365 day calendar given their association, regulated weights and measures, and taxation according to class.

Solon’s moral reformations were far-reaching including family and child protection laws.

Irreverent Savoir-Faire?
A drama of Solon’s voluntary exile is given in some accounts of his life, but did not seem borne out in the various sources. Solon remained in his appointment as Chief Magistrate long enough to explain and enforce the rules and reformations he enacted. Having sufficiently established the new constitution of Athenian life and culture, Solon apparently took to traveling and learning abroad for a period of 10 years because he believed that it was ultimately up to the people of Athens to make the constitution work.

To the people I have given such honor as is sufficient,
neither taking away nor granting them more.

For those who had power and were great in riches,
I greatly cared that they should suffer nothing wrong.
Thus I stood, holding my strong shield over both,
and I did not allow either side to prevail against justice.

I did those things with my power,
bringing into harmony force and justice,

and I finished them as I promised;

and I made the laws equal for the poor man and the powerful

fitting impartial justice on each.

Some conjectured that Solon’s departure was due to disagreement with the usurping tyrant Pisistratus, but that, again, does not bear scrutiny. For one thing, Pisistratus was among Solon’s maternal genealogy. It is also said that they were fond of each other, and that Pisistratus respected Solon’s wisdom and upheld his legislation, even though Solon did not agree with Pisistratus’ “ambitions.” Further, Pisistratus made his coup for power during Solon’s travels, and it was not until Solon’s return to Athens that he began to decry Pisistratus’ regime.

Account of Solon’s irreverent frankness is singularly highlighted in his cautionary counsel of Croesus vain-gloriousness. Of the encounter, Solon reflects, “one must never approach (great kings) unless one gives them always the best possible counsel and tells them only the truth.”

Formula For The Fortunate
Solon died in the year of the 55th Olympiad. For his accomplishments he is revered as one of the Sophoi, and his words are immortalized among those at the Oracle at Delphi, “One must keep to the happy medium in all things.”

So what are your thoughts on the parallel between the events of the week and the problems and resolutions addressed by Solon? Has this been useful in adding perspective to the issues in our present society?

Thales of Miletus (c640 - c562 B.C.): “The Impractical Scholar”

Hello Dish-friends,
I’ve been away, tending to some pressing concerns, but I hope I have not lost your interest in our discussion blog. In the meanwhile, I made it possible for you to post your comments on any topics, and left you the freedom to register as a reader or not. Just in case you had any thoughts on our offerings (and it would be nice to know who you are).

During this hiatus I’ve kept an eye out for interesting topics to blog for discussion, we will get to those in good time, because for right now I am using the expediency of directed research to share some of what I’ve been working on. It is a means to an end, the completion of something started and shelved at another point in time not unlike present circumstances. Nevertheless, I truly appreciate your understanding and support, and will resume the commitment to a weekly discussion.

The next several blog posts for discussion relates to some notable originators of modern theory and thought. This will not be linear in effort but it may present some surprising insights and “food for thought.” And as we mean to dish on these offerings, there will be opinions expressed. If Guy Kawasaki’s Holy Kaw is a “practical blog for impractical people” then we are in reverse, “an impractical blog for practical people,” neither aimless nor uninformative, but nonetheless aside from daily matters, a mental break that will keep you out of the pharmacy. However, like Mr. K’s diverse interests we aim to provide an enriching diversion from the normal course of things that might prompt you to say, “hmm, that’s interesting.”

Without much ado, meet or reacquaint yourself with Mr. Thales of Miletus, viewed by some in his time and successors as an “impractical scholar.” Hint: you’re in good company.

Thales of Miletus (c640 - c562 B.C.): “The Impractical Scholar”

Know thyself
and you will know the Universe and the gods!

Impractical Scholar or Shrewd Nerd?

Thales of Miletus, one for the seven great sages of Greece was born circa 640 BC to parents Examyes and Cleobuline in Milesia, now in Turkish region. In his career he was a merchant, magistrate, engineer, political strategist, and statesman, and is credited for his contributions to physics, math, navigation, astronomy, and philosophy. Thales founded a school of philosophy in Ionia where he taught philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy. He basically advocated a love of learning and practical, scientific methodology over supernatural explanations for observable, actionable phenomena.

Had he not made some significant contributions to math, physics, philosophy, and astronomy, the ‘impractical scholar' jest by Socrates might have been earned. Rather, this is a man to whom many philosophers, geometers, and scientists credit as the originator of their work, so the slight, if indeed it was one, merely pokes fun at could have been a humorous accident. Regarding the incident, it is reported of Thales of Miletus being so engrossed with his passions that he did hardly noticed a ditch or well in his path until he had fallen in. Whether the hole was real or metaphor matters little to history now, but the anecdote defines Thales as being passionate about his pursuits not so much as careless in his responsibilities.

Absorbing interests aside, Thales proved that he was indeed a shrewd and practical nerd as he demurred compensation from his noble students and asked only that he was given credit as the author of the precepts taught. “That will be for you praiseworthy modesty and for me a very precious reward.” He was also wise in not leaving traceable documents that his successors and detractors might have used to unnecessarily refute and diminish his work. Hence he took and built upon what he learned from the Egyptian and Chaldean mystery schools where he is believed to have studied. One should see no fault in that as it is the role of an education to develop the mind to seek and make its own discoveries.

Further to his credit for shrewdness and pragmatism, Thales may have used his knowledge of the solstices and lunar phases to develop a farmer’s almanac for his region as he might have learned from the Egyptians. Thus, he cornered the market in anticipation of a particularly bountiful olive season through acquisition of all the presses in his locale, then renting them at a profitable rate. It is believed that his gains afforded him the wealth to travel and study abroad in Egypt, Babylonia, and Chaldea. Thales’ reproach to those who regarded him as an ‘impractical scholar’ was that as easy as it could be for the wise, albeit scholarly men, to attain wealth, they did not place great value on amassing tangible riches but rather, preferred the enrichment of the mind.

Reclusive Scholar/Man of the People

The role of a philosopher/teacher is to initiate discovery through inquiry which Thales appeared to do in challenging assumptions as to the origin of the wind, the cause of lightning and thunder, the substance of thunderbolts, the size, shape, and support of the earth, the cause of earthquakes, the dates of the solstices, and the size of the sun and moon. Thus, Thales is credited for the understanding of the phases of the moon by which he set the monthly calendar, and the length of the year to 365 days as we know it. His method had its origins in his Egyptian studies. Thales also established the theoretical foundation of physics with the 5 theorems of elementary geometry and utilized his formulations to calculate the distance of ships from shore, and the height of monumental objects based on how the length of its shadow coincides with its true height.

Thales appeared to be as much a man of the people as he was a reclusive scholar through the practical contributions he made to their everyday lives, livelihood, and matters of the state. As an astronomer he developed navigational guides used by seafarers and fishermen based on his revelation of the stellar constellation of the Little Bear. (It was on one of his star-gazing expeditions that he is purported to have fallen into that ditch! Comical, and endearing.) As a political strategist and statesman he seems to have contributed much to military strategy first in using the unprecedented prediction of a solar eclipse as a tactical advantage to sway the superstitions of an opponent into negotiating conditions of peace. He also used his engineering skills to re-channel a river flow in order to allow the Lydian king, Croesus’ army to cross without having to build a bridge or commission boats. Yet, Thales is revered for having exercised diplomacy in that war by advising against an alliance with Croesus’s regime, who by historical account did not have the respect of the statesmen of his time, and merely delivered him to defeat at the hand of the Persians. As might be deduced by the aforementioned aphorism, the great Sages leaned on the side of humility.

A bridge between myth and mind

Socrates regarded laconic brevity—“the ability to utter such [brief and terse] remarks” as the hallmark of “a perfectly educated man.” (In light of some of my paragraphical sentences this might seem self-indicting, but I stand my ground.) And it is in such a manner that Thales and his contemporaries endeavored to express their thoughts. In certain writings there appears to be some misunderstanding of the language and precepts of metaphysics which in turn may have led to inaccurate interpretations and references to some esoteric aspects of Thales philosophical reasonings.

For example Thales’ gnosis that “All things have souls or are animated by the divine” is regarded as pantheistic. Yet today, quantum physics holds the view that all things emanate from and are sustained by the same self-sustaining, all-sufficient, self-operative principle and force-- apeiron, and that this substance may be found everywhere in the universe. Thales’ belief that the world is arranged by unboundless, infinite intelligent design also supports that view.

As well, the primacy of water to life and nature may have led Thales to deduce that water is the first element to emanate from the Ether and is, therefore, the first principle of all things. He also observed that as all things are perpetually changing from one elemental state to another, some more gradually than others, then, everything eventually returned to the Ether or source of Creation.

Students in Thales’ Ionia School of Philosophy would have proposed answers to and discussed ideas like these:


 1. What is the largest thing in the world?

 2. What is the strongest?

 3. What is the fastest thing known to man?

 4. What is the most difficult thing to do?

 5. What is the easiest thing to do?

 6. Who /What is God?

 7. What is the most virtuous thing to do?

 8. What/who is the wisest thing/one in the world?

 9. What is the most agreeable thing in life?

10. How does one gain good fortune?


Please share your answers in the comments here or on my Twitter page. I will post the answers in my Twitter Favorites as your responses come in, hash tag #ThalesofMiletus, and do follow me for future topics and discussions. I am a moderate tweeter; my tweets between blog posts are usually about music, food, my daily workouts, retweets of ideas or from people that fascinate me, and inspirational quotes from poetry, scripture, metaphysics, psychology, and philosophy.


A Fortunate Life

Thales is well established in history as a Sophoi, one of the Seven Sages of Greece, and in modernity as the originator of Western Philosophy. “The most outstanding aspects of Thales’s heritage are: The search for knowledge for its own sake; the development of the scientific method; the adoption of practical methods and their development into general principles; his curiosity and conjectural approach to the questions of natural phenomena – In the sixth century BCE Thales asked the question, ‘What is the basic material of the cosmos?’ The answer is yet to be discovered.”(Patricia O’Grady, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Thales died around 78 years old from heat exhaustion and old age while watching the 58th Olympiad from the view of his terrace. He was much beloved by the Greek; his death was observed with great pomp and circumstance.

That was good wasn't it? Let me know what you think, and thank you for reading. Make it great for the rest of the week.



Photo credit: The bust shown above is in the Capitoline Museum in Rome but is not contemporary with Thales.

"I Am The Tree Planted By The River"

Already another month has fallen to the steady march of time, toil, and purpose. And despite the dark spills and oil clouds that threaten to choke our air and waters, April came with all her loveliness, springing forth in brightness of hope and futures abloom. I think that is the sentiment and spirit of Dan Chiasson’s Next, a fitting synopsis for our month of poetry and compassionate experience.

Next

If you can orbit the planet, why can’t you see

what makes the human heart happy?

Is it art or is it sex?

Or is it, as I suspect, just keeping going

from next thing to next thing

to next thing to next thing

to next to next to next to next

pulsating stupidly to outlast time?

But let us not tick-tock too quickly, nor mindlessly on to the next thing, as Dr. Maya Angelou’s poetry invites us to slow it down. Savor it, the sensual and rhythmic pulse of life, like a good cup of morning joe and wave to the stranger who has loved us, “hello, good morning.”

The Rock Cries Out to Us Today

A Rock, A River, A Tree

Hosts to species long since departed,

Mark the mastodon.

The dinosaur, who left dry tokens

Of their sojourn here

On our planet floor,

Any broad alarm of their of their hastening doom

Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.

But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,

Come, you may stand upon my

Back and face your distant destiny,

But seek no haven in my shadow.

I will give you no hiding place down here.

You, created only a little lower than

The angels, have crouched too long in

The bruising darkness,

Have lain too long

Face down in ignorance.

Your mouths spelling words

Armed for slaughter.

The rock cries out today, you may stand on me,

But do not hide your face.

Across the wall of the world,

A river sings a beautiful song,

Come rest here by my side.

Each of you a bordered country,

Delicate and strangely made proud,

Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.

Your armed struggles for profit

Have left collars of waste upon

My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.

Yet, today I call you to my riverside,

If you will study war no more.

Come, clad in peace and I will sing the songs

The Creator gave to me when I

And the tree and stone were one.

Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your brow

And when you yet knew you still knew nothing.

The river sings and sings on.

There is a true yearning to respond to

The singing river and the wise rock.

So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew,

The African and Native American, the Sioux,

The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek,

The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh,

The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher,

The privileged, the homeless, the teacher.

They hear. They all hear

The speaking of the tree.

Today, the first and last of every tree

Speaks to humankind. Come to me, here beside the river.

Plant yourself beside me, here beside the river.

Each of you, descendant of some passed on

Traveller, has been paid for.

You, who gave me my first name,

You Pawnee, Apache and Seneca,

You Cherokee Nation, who rested with me,

Then forced on bloody feet,

Left me to the employment of other seekers--

Desperate for gain, starving for gold.

You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot...

You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru,

Bought, sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare

Praying for a dream.

Here, root yourselves beside me.

I am the tree planted by the river,

Which will not be moved.

I, the rock, I the river, I the tree

I am yours--your passages have been paid.

Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need

For this bright morning dawning for you.

History, despite its wrenching pain,

Cannot be unlived, and if faced with courage,

Need not be lived again.

Lift up your eyes upon

The day breaking for you.

Give birth again

To the dream.

Women, children, men,

Take it into the palms of your hands.

Mold it into the shape of your most

Private need. Sculpt it into

The image of your most public self.

Lift up your hearts.

Each new hour holds new chances

For new beginnings.

Do not be wedded forever

To fear, yoked eternally

To brutishness.

The horizon leans forward,

Offering you space to place new steps of change.

Here, on the pulse of this fine day

You may have the courage

To look up and out upon me,

The rock, the river, the tree, your country.

No less to Midas than the mendicant.

No less to you now than the mastodon then.

Here on the pulse of this new day

You may have the grace to look up and out

And into your sister's eyes,

Into your brother's face, your country

And say simply

Very simply

With hope

Good morning.

Meet you back here soon, in May. Peace and blessings,

Your goodie bag:
Famous Poets And Poems

Writer's Digest's Poetic Asides blog

Knopf DoubleDay's Poem-A-Day featuring Derek Walcott